Antiques Roadshow’s return to Borders now just over a month away

Darin Hutson

It’s now just over a month until the Antiques Roadshow comes to the Borders for the first time for eight years, and fans of the long-running show are being urged to dig out their valuables in readiness for its return.

An episode of the BBC One show, now in its 40th series, will be filmed at Floors Castle at Kelso on Thursday, July 6.

Presenter Fiona Bruce.

Doors will open at 9.30am and close at 4.30pm, and entry is free. All are welcome, and no tickets or pre-registration are required, but anyone taking along items with an unusual story attachedor large items of furniture is asked to let the show know via www.bbc.co.uk/antiquesroadshow or by emailing it at antiques.roadshow@bbc.co.uk

Presenter Fiona Bruce, now marking her 10th year on the prime-time programme, said: “The best part of working on Antiques Roadshow is that we never know who or what is going to turn up on the day.

“The visitors, the objects they bring, their stories and the location all combine to make a fabulous experience that we aim to capture for the viewers. If you are a fan of Antiques Roadshow, curious to see behind the scenes or just fancy a day out, I would urge you to dig out your treasures and come along. We’d love to see you.”

The Antiques Roadshow is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year as it was in May 1977, in Herefordshire, that its first episode was filmed.

Executive editor Simon Shaw said: “We are looking forward to coming to the magnificent Floors Castle in Kelso on Thursday, July 6.

“The grandeur and setting should make it a perfect backdrop for Antiques Roadshow.

“Our team of experts and Fiona love nothing better than hearing people’s stories and seeing what items they bring, so we hope as many people as possible come to Floors Castle and enjoy what our visitors consistently tell us is a fantastic day out.

“Even after 40 years, the magic formula of surprising some lucky guests with exciting news about their treasures is still a thrill for us, the visitors and the viewers.”

July’s visit to Kelso, announced during an episode screened in December, is the show’s first to the Borders since it was filmed at Abbotsford, author Walter Scott’s home near Tweedbank, back in 2009.

Floors Castle, designed by architect William Adam and built in the 1720s, is actually a country house rather than a castle, contrary to its name.

The category-A listed building is the family home of Guy David Innes-Ker, the 10th Duke of Roxburghe.

The stately home is no stranger to the cameras, having been used as a location for the 1984 film Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes.

Directed by Hugh Hudson, it was based on the 1912 Edgar Rice Burroughs novel Tarzan of the Apes and starred Christopher Lambert, Ralph Richardson, James Fox, David Suchet and Ian Holm.